i7-2657M vs i3-7020U

Place in the ranking	2079	2464
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i3	Intel Core i7
Power efficiency	10.28	5.52
Architecture codename	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
Release date	10 April 2018 (6 years ago)	3 January 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$281	$317

Detailed specifications

Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	2 (Dual-core)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	2.3 GHz	1.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.3 GHz	2.7 GHz
Bus type	OPI	DMI 2.0
Bus rate	4 GT/s	4 × 5 GT/s
Multiplier	23	16
L1 cache	128 KB	128 KB
L2 cache	512 KB	512 KB
L3 cache	3 MB	4 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Die size	no data	149 mm²
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Number of transistors	no data	624 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1 (Uniprocessor)	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCBGA1356,FC-BGA1356,FPBGA1356	FCBGA1023
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	17 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® AVX
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	-	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	+	no data
My WiFi	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	-	+
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	+	+
Smart Response	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
FDI	no data	+
Fast Memory Access	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	-
Identity Protection	+	+
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data
Anti-Theft	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333
Maximum memory size	32 GB	8.01 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	34.134 GB/s	21.335 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 620	Intel HD Graphics 3000
Max video memory	32 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	+
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	+
Graphics max frequency	1 GHz	1 GHz
InTru 3D	+	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	2
eDP	+	+
DisplayPort	+	+
HDMI	+	+
DVI	+	no data
SDVO	no data	+
CRT	no data	+

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	no data
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	no data
OpenGL	4.5	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	12	16

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i3-7020U 1.66
+64.4%

i7-2657M 1.01

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i3-7020U 3588
+2.8%

i7-2657M 3491

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i3-7020U 8083
+29.8%

i7-2657M 6229

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	1.66	1.01
Integrated graphics card	2.42	0.66
Recency	10 April 2018	3 January 2011
Chip lithography	14 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	17 Watt

i3-7020U has a 64.4% higher aggregate performance score, 266.7% faster integrated GPU, an age advantage of 7 years, a 128.6% more advanced lithography process, and 13.3% lower power consumption.

The Core i3-7020U is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2657M in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-7020U and Core i7-2657M, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.